Spin Your Way to Sexy
October 16, 2008 • By Jess Godby, Contributing writer
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When Jess Novak and I stepped into Inner Goddess Studios, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was nervous and excited all at the same time, wondering what instructor Kara Vance was going to teach us. The intermediate girls in the class we observed earlier made pole work look like a piece of cake. They were so comfortable with their bodies and talented dancers, floating around the pole and expressing themselves with sultry moves.
I shook off the fear of embarrassment early on when Kara eased us into some exotic warm-ups. It didn’t take long for me to realize why this type of dance would appeal to so many women. It’s one of the only places that allows females to embrace the art of feeling sexy in their own bodies and enjoy the luxury knowing that no one there is judging them.
Kara encouraged us to let go, and find our sexy side, but I couldn’t help but giggle as I attempted to gracefully perform moves like the “fireman” spin. While mastering the pole would take a few more lessons, Kara taught us some simpler tricks like the proper way to walk toward the pole, and what the “goddess” pose is (I’m not telling — go find out for yourself!).
Pole dancing is NOT as easy as it looks! My arms ached for days — I could barely hold a door open and I think I feel my arms getting shaky as I type this. But the experience in this class is atypical because it doesn’t feel like your normal workout. Jess and I had so much fun learning that we totally forgot we were actually exercising at the same time. So skip sweating it out on the treadmill and try something new!
I think JMU females would enjoy, as well as benefit from, a class like this. I have taken jazz and hip-hop classes, and I also used to cheer, but this is different from those types of exercise. Besides the enjoyable workout, women gain confidence about their bodies. Kara and Rachel, the other instructor, both make sure that the women feel comfortable, and the instructors are very patient cultivating each girl’s uniqueness. I can say, without reservation, that this is something I would love to do again. Maybe I don’t have time to do a weekly class, but I plan on going back for some of the electrifying workshops the instructors offer. So ladies, give yourselves an early Christmas gift; take a break from studying and discover your sexy side instead.
By Jess Novak
Jess Godby and I went to two classes last week. On Tuesday, we observed the Intermediate-level Pole Work class at Inner Goddess Studios and on Thursday, we had the opportunity to try dancing ourselves.
Watching the Intermediate Pole Work class was deceiving. The class began with a simple warm-up of various stretching moves, working arms, legs, necks, backs and even toes. Yet, even from the simple warm-up exercises, the women were sure to make each and every move intentional and sexy, adding slight nuances to seemingly typical stretches to give them some attitude and sex appeal.
When the pole dancing began, each of the women made the spins look effortless, as if they were floating. They spun quickly at times and gently fell back to the floor at others like leaves floating on a breeze, spiraling back to the ground. Rachel would call out exercises like “pole-ups,” “sit-spins,” “spinning V’s,” “carousels” or “twist-ups” and the women would mount one of the three poles in the studio and practice the move a few times before showing Rachel to see if they did it right. She often had pieces of advice, yet all of the women seemed completely capable of every move, boosting my confidence that I could do the same. Even when Rachel swung herself upside down and hung, posing for the camera, I internally couldn’t help but think, “That doesn’t look so hard.”
Though I found swinging around the pole somewhat easy, I found making it look graceful and sexy much more challenging and swinging upside down or anything close to it was simply out of the question.
However, despite my inability to be serious and sexy, Kara was helpful, understanding and an excellent teacher. She put me at ease, calling my style simply more “playful” than her own, emphasizing that everyone has their own interpretation of the moves and style on the pole. Because our lesson was a sampling of both exotic and pole dancing basics, Jess and I were given many moves to learn in a very short time. The thorough stretches and slow, deliberate moves worked all kinds of muscles that I usually fail to target in my regular workout regiment and it was actually fun.
Inner Goddess Studios offers women a great opportunity to get in shape while having fun, building confidence and learning some unique and possibly useful moves (wink, wink). Whereas Carmen Electra DVDs (yes, I own one) are fun the first few run-throughs, they offer little compared to the one-on-one instruction and personalized attention offered at Inner Goddess. The slightest details are pointed out, not only with regard to how a certain move is executed, but also with proper positioning, so the correct muscles are engaged, enhancing the overall workout. Unlike a DVD, these classes and workshops provide women with an actual place to go meet their “sexy side” in an open, friendly and welcoming environment.
I only wish they had opened sooner.
And I hope South View doesn’t mind if I put a pole in the living room.
Contact Jess Godby at godbyje@jmu.edu
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